Synopsis Tells an allegorical story, loosely based on the play The Romancers (Les Romanesques) by Edmond Rostand, concerning two neighbouring fathers who put up a wall between their houses to ensure that their children fall in love, because they know children always do what their parents forbid. After the children do fall in love, they discover their fathers' plot and each goes off and experience the world. Finally they return to each other and the love they had, having learned from the world to recognize their true feelings.
Michael Coveney on Whatsonstage.com (two stars) – “I was once beguiled by the piece in the Open Air, Regent’s Park, but this new Japanese production, featuring eight resourceful British actors, two pianists and a box of props, is a bit of a struggle. The more they smile and caper, the more you feel like, well, stepping on their kumquats… Thank heavens for Edward Petherbridge and Clive Rowe. The first does some of his sweetest, silliest clowning as the old actor, ably assisted by Paul Hunter of Told by an Idiot. And the second is one of the two fathers – the other is David Burt - who create a false division between themselves to make sure their respective children fall in love... Lorna Want and Luke Brady sing well, and are not too ingratiating, as the girl and boy, while Hadley Fraser has charm to burn as the narrator. What exactly Carl Au is doing as the mute is anyone’s guess, but he does it gracefully enough. And there are 12 customers sitting on tiny bleachers on the stage, too. Let’s hope they don’t soon start outnumbering the customers sitting in the stalls, but it might be a good bet.”
Quentin Letts in the Daily Mail(no stars) – “Next time you find yourself somewhere less than ideal - in a stifling nightmare, in a traffic jam to the airport, in a trainee gynaecologist's stirrups - count your blessings. It could be worse. You could be stuck in the surreal musical 'comedy' The Fantasticks, directed by a Japanese. With the entire second half still to come…A version of this show has somehow managed to notch up its half century in New York. Perhaps in 1960 it all seemed wildly innovative: an ill-formed tale of romance, with two lovers separated by an imaginary wall, and various escapades as they are tested by their fathers and by a caped narrator. Today it is just cheek-numbingly boring and desperately unfunny. A man dresses up as an Indian mystic. 'He's a fake fakir!' cries one of the 'players' (as they are called). You need to be Kenneth Williams to get away with that sort of line… The narrator (Hadley Fraser) sings opening song 'Try To Remember' tunefully enough and there are perhaps two other numbers worth the candle. Some of the audience sit on the stage and are to be commended for stayingawake…The show is directed by one Amon Miyamoto. There were a lot of Japanese in the house. They watched, motionless, silent. They may well have found it killingly funny. Hard to say."
Henry Hitchings in the Evening Standard (one star) – “Part musical, part physical comedy, part meta-theatrical skit, and wholly self-conscious, it’s a love story with a heart of blancmange. The central characters are next-door neighbours Luisa and Matt. Their fathers build a wall between their homes, hoping that by creating this obstacle they will encourage the children into a rebellious liaison. Yet instead of prompting passion this strategy inspires the two teenagers to seek wider worldly experience… Most of the humour is feeble, and while the performances are serviceable, with Edward Petherbridge raising several laughs, it’s impossible to redeem the material. Some roles feel miscast, with David Burt’s presence as the more awkward of the two fathers especially incongruous... Harvey Schmidt’s music is mostly insipid, and although Amon Miyamoto’s choreography contains a few nice touches, his direction is marred by syrupy sentimentality and a fondness for greatly exaggerated gesture."
Libby Purves in The Times(three stars) –“The plot is as mad as a box of frogs. When it does start to make some sense, after the interval, its moral is cloyingly smalltown: the wide world is dangerous, foreigners cruel and violent, and true happiness is marrying the boy or girl next door and watching your comedy dad grow more radishes… This is at least an interesting production, since one lot of foreigners - the Japanese - won round its co-creator Tom Jones. He fell for an Amon Miyamoto production in Tokyo, with a weird lozenge-shaped stage and a dozen confused audience members seated on it : so here it is, an all-American burger with a wasabi twist … Is it fun? Sometimes. The young lovers (Lorna Want and Luke Brady) are sweet, the music elegant. In the long clowning sequences Edward Petherbridge as an ancient actor effortlessly steals the scene every time he puts a foot on stage or does a Sinden boom, proving that to portray a terrible old ham you need a serious, un-hammy old pro.”
Michael Billington in the Guardian(two stars) – “Since it's been running more or less continuously off-Broadway since 1960, this musical has certainly earned its place in the history books. Whether it earns a revival in the West End is another matter… Tom Jones (book and lyrics) and Harvey Schmidt (music) draw their inspiration from Rostand's Les Romanesques and, initially, the comic premise is mildly diverting. Two fathers stage a mock feud and erect a wall between their premises, in order to encourage their respective offspring to fall in love… The fathers even arrange a fake abduction of the girl, Luisa, so that the boy, Matt, can gallop heroically to her rescue. But since by the interval the plot has been virtually resolved and we've had the two best songs ('Try to Remember', and 'Soon it's Gonna Rain'), the second half strains hard to excite our curiosity… Matt Brady and Lorna Want are sprightly enough as the woosome twosome, Carl Au capers diligently as a resident mime, and Mr Miyamoto is no fool when it comes to staging.”
Charles Spencer in the Daily Telegraph(two stars) – “If there were ever proof that America and Britain are two countries divided by a common language it must surely be found in the sticky, sugary depths of this ghastly musical... Based on a romance by Edmond Rostand, and with much borrowing from Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Fantasticks tells us once again that the path of true love never did run smooth…There are endless theatrical pastiches on offer, including cod Shakespearean acting, vaudeville song-and-dance routines and a melodramatic abduction… With better material Clive Rowe, as a plump old sea dog, and David Burt as a whimsical button manufacturer, might be genuinely delightful as the apparently stern but actually loving fathers…And Lorna Want (presumably as in wants a better script) and Luke Brady have moments of genuine charm amid the cheese as the young lovers… Hadley Fraser is a charismatic narrator, while Edward Petherbridge and Paul Hunter achieve moments of genuine humour as a pair of down-at-heel actor laddies… But no amount of talent can redeem this terrible show.”
The Fantasticks, a long-running one-hit wonder for its authors Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, is the American Salad Days, which is probably why it’s never caught on here; we don’t mind extra dollops of charm, whimsy and melodic chirpiness as long as it’s our own.
I was once beguiled by the piece in the Open Air, Regent’s Park, but this new Japanese production, featuring eight resourceful British actors, two pianists and a box of props, is a bit of a struggle. The more they smile and caper, the more you feel like, well, stepping on their kumquats.
Thanks heavens for Edward Petherbridge and Clive Rowe. The first does some of his sweetest, silliest clowning as the old actor, ably assisted by Paul Hunter of Told by an Idiot. And the second is one of the two fathers – the other is David Burt – who create a false division between themselves to make sure their respective children fall in love.
Yes, folks, that’s the plot and it’s sort of over by the interval, bar a few scrapes and kidnaps, but nothing to make you glad you’re not reading Don Quixote. The best song, “Try to Remember”, is soon done with and the next best song, “Soon It’s Gonna Rain”, makes you wish for a deluge to wash them all away down Catherine Street.
The main problem with Amon Miyamoto’s production is the Stygian gloom of the black design by Rumi Matsui: the actors caper on a small black diamond in a black surround. The stripped-down, bare boards credo of Peter Brook is evoked in a programme note, but Brook’s Spartan gym for A Midsummer Night’s Dream was all-white, which makes a difference; and it really was designed by Sally Jacobs. This show is just put on a stage.
Lorna Want and Luke Brady sing well, and are not too ingratiating, as the girl and boy, while Hadley Fraser has charm to burn as the narrator. What exactly Carl Au is doing as the mute is anyone’s guess, but he does it gracefully enough. And there are 12 customers sitting on tiny bleachers on the stage, too. Let’s hope they don’t soon start outnumbering the customers sitting in the stalls, but it might be a good bet.
After Paradise Found last Sunday we really needed to see a good musical, but instead we got The Fantasticks. The show begins and ends with Try to Remember, nicely sung by Hadley Fraser, but a show needs more than one decent song. In between is some asinine nonsense which purports to be inspired by Shakespeare but makes High School Musical look sophisticated. To make matters worse it's given an avant garde reimagining by Amon Miyamoto and ends up like something the Young Vic might churn out in one of their dafter moments. I seem to remember Lorna Want singing a very good song from this show at the WoS Awards, but here it was either unrecognisable or had vanished altogether. Miss Want is a very talented young actress with a lovely voice but you can see the desperation in her performance as she is aware of the damage this nonsense could do to her career. As for Fraser, after The Far Pavilions, The Pyrate Queen and now this, perhaps he needs to change his agent. - David Baxter
26 Jun 10
I believe I predicted that whilst it ran 42 years off-Broadway it wouldn't last 42 days in the West End +++ And it closes June 26. Not a moment too soon. +++ read the truth at the blog called A KICK IN THE STALLS - JohnnyFox
16 Jun 10
The general reaction when I went was that this was both hilarious and superbly done - however, I find it very interesting that opinions on here are split between both extremes. Does this mean it counts as art? Congratulations to all the actors and to every person who made a play on a very basic stage with minimal props come alive. Now that's what acting is all about. - Heather
12 Jun 10
To add to my last entry--I see the show is so wonderful that the top seats are already at almost half price and the show has just opened!!!!!!!!!!!!! If anyone booked to go--take a comfy pillow - Joe Spiteri
12 Jun 10
Terrific and whacky this Off-Broadway show comes to London and not for the first time I'm told, it's been tried twice before, maybe it's going to be third time lucky? I loved it, unlike the Evening Standard critic who could only muster up one star? He should get out more and to New York City where on Off-Broadway some of the best shows have been produced. Unless you are prepared to make the effort and get your ass out there you'll miss some of the very best in theatre. There is a smugness here that considers the English stage the only "proper" theatre, believe me you can forget that idea. I've seen some crap of late and in no way does this show deserve such a derisory marking as a one star. The cast have a ball and it even has a wonderful cameo appearance from Edward Petherbridge. A fun night at the theatre. - rds
12 Jun 10
I thought this show was beautifully done and magical. The two clowns were hilarious. I was taken into another world. I think the negative reviews are TOTALLY unfair..... - Kate Sandison
11 Jun 10
When it got to the interval of this highly watchable, charming little show I was genuinely enchanted. The score is lovely, the staging is original and the cast are superb (especially Edward Petherbridge, Paul Hunter and the terrific Hadley Fraser) but Act 2 is so insubstantial that, despite the efforts of the talented people involved, it becomes a bit tedious. I wish they'd drop the interval and cut about 30 minutes off it, then this would be a 4 star evening. - ajh
11 Jun 10
I go to the theatre 5 to 6 times a month so expect to get a BAD one once in a while but this was really a TURKEy as the Daily Mail has just given it. What a load of rubbish and how it has lasted 50 years heaven knows and must be in a 5 seater theatre. What a waste of talent of actors specially Mr Rowe and Mr Burt to be in this stupid rubbish. Some people did laugh out at times (they obviously don't go out very much. I and my group did something we rarely do and that was walk out at the interval--had we been able to creep earlier, would have gladly done so but the thought of a second half--well I felt like quoting actress Mildred Dunnock in the film "Barefoot In the Park" where she says "If I had found a drugstore open, I would have bought a knife and killed myself". Luckily it is only on for a short run but be surprised if it even stays on that long - Joe Spiteri
11 Jun 10
Not a one-hit-wonder -- 110 in the Shade and I Do! I Do! were both successes. - Mel Atkey
11 Jun 10
Absolutely appalling. I kept on falling asleep during the second half and found it impossible to follow, follow, follow what was going on. So people rowed and behaved like children. I could have stayed at home and watched any reality TV show of my choosing if I wanted to see that. - Chris
Opened 25 Nov 1929. 476 seats. Bought from Andrew Lloyd Webber and now owned by Broadway producer Max Weitzenhoffer and Nica Burns. Society of London Theatre member.
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